LJWorld.com weblogs Angell at My Table
Posted
by Marlo Angell
October 23, 2008 at 12:20 a.m.
Raising my own Alex P. Keaton
When I took my four year-old to the democratic primary, he voiced his support, literally, for John McCain. At the time I chalked it up to his desire for attention (he sure did get a lot of head turns), but now I'm not so sure. He may in fact be the youngest true McCain loyalist. His support for McCain has never wavered, VP choice or economic crisis be damned, and when asked to back up this endorsement with some concrete reasoning, he is quick to answer. For instance, he has said John McCain should be president because he is in fact a character on the Candy Land board game (despite my reassurance that said candy cane-carrying character is actually the younger and more cheerful Mr. Mint). He has also stated that McCain must be cool because he is as old as the dinosaurs, and everyone knows dinosaurs were cool. To me, these were all harmless, and rather humorous, answers that I could take in stride and resist my urge to turn him into one of those brainwashed kids going around singing creepy Obama songs. I liked that he was taking an interest in the civic process. We've had fun reading The Class Election From the Black Lagoon and watching You're Not Elected, Charlie Brown together. It all seemed pretty educational and healthy, even if he was supporting a candidate just to be different from me... because that had to be the real reason for his passion for John McCain, right?Well, that's what I thought. But then I told him he could actually participate in some kids voting activities. Him: "You mean I can stop the war?"Me: "I don't know about that. But you can check a box for somebody."Him: "Yeah, John McCain- he's going to stop the war."Okay, I might have ran a stop sign at that point. Or just about, anyway. I'd never talked to him about Iraq. Heck, I didn't even know he knew what a war was. Sure, it was probably something he'd picked up from one of the myriad of pundits he's overheard during the last few months, but still, I was touched. There was such an earnestness to this young soul who truly believed that one person could make a difference in this world by simply checking a box. I think teaching kids about the election process is a good thing. It's never too soon to get those wheels turning, even if they're not aligned with our own.
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Comments
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femail (Linda Hanney) says…
"I was touched" Marlo, your story is touching. Your obviously observant four-year-old is taking the weight of the world on his shoulders. On the other hand, you might have a budding politician--maybe elected official sounds better.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…
http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatPr... 6?
justbegintowrite (Ronda Miller) says…
You know what they say, Marlo, "out of the mouth of babes." Perhaps he knows something you don't know. :)My son was a huge Ross Perot fan way back when. At first I figured they just had ears in common, but his excitement for him was immense. When he was around eight or ten he became a devout Republican and I kept asking myself what I had done wrong. I was such a major liberal all of my life and here my son was a boyscout and my daughter was a cheerleader. I expected them to be long haired, artsy types.Now that I am out of the closet and stating I am a Republican, my son was the first person to tell me how proud of me he is. He works for the Democrats locally.Your son is lucky to have a mom who supports him whichever way he leans - he will do the same in respecting your beliefs.
Jaylee (anonymous) says…
"There was such an earnestness to this young soul who truly believed that one person could make a difference in this world by simply checking a box."that is super cool. you tell him that he is super cool for being so sharp.and i agree with ronda that this situation will only open doors for you all's relationship. so cool to hear.
gaiapapaya (anonymous) says…
This reminds me of the 2000 election. We had to vote early because we were going to be out of town on election day. On the way into the courthouse my 5 yr old daughter asked me if I was voting for George Bush. I said I wasn't. She said "Why not? His name sounds like he really loves the earth." I laughed and explained that names don't always reflect the person.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
"There was such an earnestness to this young soul who truly believed that one person could make a difference in this world by simply checking a box."That's what keeps me *checking* boxes ( like the one into which I'm typing ) ... in all earnestness, keeping me young.
tangential_reasoners_anonymous (anonymous) says…
Not so... children are permitted fairy tales.
denak (anonymous) says…
I love 4 year olds. They are so imaginative and they love to ask questions.....over and over and over and over.........This is such a great story. My son is 16 now but I remember taking him to vote when he was much younger. He didn't know what any of the candidates really stood for but he thought it was cool. And now, he is older and really involved in politics. In fact, he told me according to a quiz he and his classmates took a few days ago, he is a liberal.So, who knows, your young man might just turn out to be a liberal in the end.Dena
salthawk (Jerry Elliott) says…
marlo, what a gentle story of a young and gentle soul. i hope he can keep that for a bunch more years. jerry
angell (Marlo Angell) says…
Thanks everyone for sharing- it's cool to hear what kids like about politicians, whether it's the name or something more inexplicable...Loved the size 6 young republican wardrobe- now if only I had Sarah Palin's family wardrobe stipend...